Preview

Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1375 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Essay On Lowering The Drinking Age
The Drinking Age: to Lower or Not to Lower In this day and age, there are many laws and regulations that set limitations on the age at which a person is allowed to do certain things, such as voting, purchasing cigarettes, getting licensed to drive a car, and even joining the military. These laws and regulations were set with the idea in mind that people will be at the appropriate age to take part in such activities. Lawmakers believed that at these set age limitations people would be matured and responsible enough to handle such privileges. One law pertaining to age limitation that has gotten a lot of light and has been an enormously controversial topic in recent times is the drinking age, which is currently 21 years old in all 50 states within America. Some say that it should be lowered so that people at the age of 18 can take part in the privilege of enjoying alcoholic beverages while others strongly disagree and find it to be anything but a good idea. Personally, I am with those who think that the age should be lowered. I …show more content…
Currently, the United States’ economy is headed in a downward spiral. The price of living keeps climbing, but paychecks are not running parallel with it. Jobs are harder and harder to come by, especially ones that aren’t entry level at best. In such tough times, wouldn’t it be nice to have something to stimulate the economy a bit? If you think about it, allowing more people to purchase alcohol will do just that. Bars, liquor stores, and beer distributors alike will suddenly be legally able to make sales to more people and therefore bring in more revenue. Legalizing the consumption of alcohol for people 18-years-old and up can help in order to create jobs at these places as well as breweries, vineyards, and other alcohol-related

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    On a cold a February evening, a pair of adults in their late twenties to early thirties were looking for some fun. Laughing, joking, fishing, and of course, when they were fishing, they had to have alcohol involved. After fishing, they got bored and looked for some more fun. They found some enjoyment driving fast on the back roads near a lake called Patoka Lake, but what happened next was unpredictable.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although the initiative opens up a popular discussion, Congress, however, does not share this desire to open this topic up for conversation. In 1984, Thorson 2 Organizations such as M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) are already frowning upon the institutions that, assuming the current laws will not be enforced, have shown their support for the Amethyst Initiative. It was stated in September 5th, 2008, in the University of Connecticut’s Daily Campus paper that many schools signed the Amethyst Initiative, but Thorson 3 President Michael Hogan at the University of Connecticut (UConn) did not agree. According to Lisa Troyer, Hogan’s Chief of Staff, he examined the proposition very carefully and considered the issue of binge drinking among college students, not only at UConn but at campuses all across the country. The fault Hogan found with the initiative is that, despite its encouragement for open discussion, he found that it prematurely suggests a solution of lowering the drinking age. Troyer expressed that there was a lack of scientific evidence indicating that this will result in a safer environment for students and a better overall outcome for universities. While this is a valid argument, a lot has changed concerning the ways that students are being educated in the dangers of drunk driving and alcohol consumption. It is not always an issue of statistics and studies revolving the legal drinking age, but a question of at what point students have enough information to make informed decisions and are considered mature enough to have this privilege. At this point, actions are being taken to fund programs in colleges that are used to educate students on binge drinking and how to be responsible. The Department of Education is stressing college campus programs that are designed to prevent binge drinking and violent behavior committed by students by providing the funding for the programs. In receiving this funding,…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The pros of lowering the drinking age are just as many as there are bad. Lowering the drinking age to 18 is only fair since you already have the right to vote, smoke cigarettes, serve on juries, get married, sign contracts, be prosecuted as adults, and join the military. Permitting 18- should 20-year-olds to drink liquor over controlled situations for supervision might diminish perilous drinking movement. Bringing down the drinking age from 21 to 18 would decrease the thrill of breaking the law to get a drink. The drinking age now is ineffective since the majority of teens still consume alcohol. Many law enforcement agencies ignore most underage drinking. And lastly if the drinking age was lowered it would be good for the economy.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Each year, there is talk as to whether underage is that big of deal and if the drinking age should be lowered, raised, or just remain the same. I feel as if underage drinking is not okay and many unnecessary deaths are caused each year because of teens engaging in underage drinking. If anything, raising the drinking age to twenty five years of age would help ensure less deaths due to drunk driving or DUI’s. Therefore, laws against underage drinking should still be enforced and the drinking age should be raised in order to prevent more death or any other negative effects associated with underage drinking. Now, there are many reports of deaths due to underage drinking.…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There was a big debate on whether or not the minimum drinking age should be lowered. The media gave this debate a lot of attention. It’s not about the age it’s about the decisions they make with alcohol at a very young adult age. I do like the argument if you are old enough to serve our country and die for your country then you should be able to drink at that age. After all the research I have done and retrieved information I have found, they do have a lot of good evidence to keep the age the same way it is.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The drinking age in America is currently at 21. Some people have argued against that saying that it makes no sense to keep the drinking age at 21 since in most countries around the world it is at 18 or lower. Others argue that if the voting age and the army allows young men and women to fight why shouldn’t they be allowed t drink alcohol. Alcohol is a powerful drug that effects the mind of anyone consuming it. That is why it is best for society if the drinking age stays the way it is now.…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Good Morning, the issue I have chosen is if we should raise the drinking age to 21.…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When discussing an age limit for alcohol, there are many arguments for or against it. We could lower the drinking age but raise the driving age. We could raise the drinking age for everyday people and lower it for soldiers. We could keep it as is or we could try other things such as, teaching kids how to drink in the correct manor. There are so many opinions on this subject, such as the three we read about in “Back to the Lake”, but not one is necessarily correct or foolproof. I think each author made some very valid points, as do many other arguments in this matter. So, how do we decide what is best for this day and time? Which…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Drinking age debate

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The legal drinking age is a topic that has come up for, and will continue to come up for, many years. The main question that needs to be answered is what is it that determines when a person is able to drink. Should we continue to base the drinking level on age or should we look at other characteristics. Those enrolled in the military have special benefits when it comes to drinking. In the year of 2011, the legal drinking age in the United States for all non-military people is 21 years of age. There is research for both sides of the spectrum. Some believe that the age should be lowered from 21, while others believe 21 is the perfect age. Then there are the people who say that the drinking age should be taken even higher than 21. Some want the drinking age to be as high as 25. Will lowering the drinking age stop teens from binge drinking? If we take the drinking age higher, will it simply cause rebellion in the teen world?…

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the largest reasons for lowering the legal drinking age to 18 years of age is the fact that at the age of 18 you are considered an and take on lots of responsibilities. At 18 years of age you are judged mature enough to…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    When a person turns eighteen, he or she can get married, vote, pay taxes, purchase cigarettes, be tried as an adult for crimes, legally use their own credit card, purchase real estate, and even enter the military. When a United States citizen turns eighteen, that person is considered a legal adult. According to The United States Constitution, “The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen-years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age.” In other words, being a legal adult entails so many new responsibilities and they are legally responsible for the consequences of their own actions. Adults should be entrusted with how they handle their alcohol, just like how adults are entrusted with how they spend their money and what they spend their money on. However, being a young adult has one inequitable setback from all the other adults who possess the same responsibility: They cannot legally purchase or consume alcohol. This concept is not only unfair but also unreasonable. If the Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA) was lowered, society could benefit because there would be less accidents and drinking under the influence, citizens are equal, and there would be less reasoning to for teenagers and young adults to go out and party in uncontrolled environments. The United States needs to lower the Minimum Legal Drinking Age to eighteen because it would benefit society as a whole to have younger people who have a better understanding of the effects of alcohol.…

    • 3572 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Better Essays

    Human beings have been making alcoholic beverages for as long as they have had sedentary agriculture, and the right to drink this beverage has been in question for just as long. For many, the right to drink beer or vodka is a right of passage into adulthood, and for others it is a sign of strong friendship in ceremonies. The history of drinking in the U.S.A. is lengthy and complimated, but it starts with the American Revolution. Freedom is a good beer after a long day, and many men, women, and children drank beer in the 1700s because it was safer than the potentially infected water than ran through the city. This trend continued until 1920, when the 18th amendment was passed in Congress. This amendment mandated that there shall be no more consumption, manufacturing, or distribution of alcoholic beverages in the United States; however, many Americans disregarded this law and illegally made “moonshine” drinks to sell and drink.…

    • 1744 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lowering Drinking Age

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Lowering the Drinking Age: A Problem or a Solution? Why is it that 18 year old citizens, like myself, can legally obtain a driver's license, register to vote, be forced into jury duty or a draft, can be tried as an adult and even be put to death, but cannot buy and consume alcoholic beverages legally? It is hard for me to comprehend as a young American that we can be permitted or subjected to perform actions that affect the lives of other people, but we are not allowed to have the freedom of choice on an issue that directly involves one's own life. By setting the standard drinking age at 21, a taboo was placed on alcohol for young people. Perhaps by settling the standard drinking age to 18 young adults would no longer see alcohol as the forbidden…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The controversial topic of lowering the drinking age has been present since they raised the minimum drinking age from eighteen to twenty-one in the summer of 1984. Today, we see that drinking is more than just an occasional weekend activity for young adults. Whether it be a young adult or a middle-aged individual, the consumption of alcohol is a popular coping mechanism for any misfortune one may endure. The only difference being that young adults are more susceptible to addiction. Another issue that must be addressed when discussing lowering the drinking age is that the human brain isn’t finished developing until the age of twenty-five, as a result eighteen year olds risk altering this development by drinking alcohol.…

    • 914 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At the age of 18 you are legally considered an adult in the U.S. It entitles you to what you would think to be the freedoms of a responsible adult. You can vote, get married, join the army and fight for our country, and even sign contracts. But somehow you’re not considered mature enough to have a sip of alcohol? This law should be considered discrimination against young adults in the 18-20 age range. What many people don’t know, is the real reason why we have the world’s highest drinking age. In 1984 congress threatened to reduce highway funding for all states who did not raise their minimun purchase age and public possession of alcohol laws. Of course all U.S. states complied with this act, nationally raising the legal age. They say it’s…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays